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MTV's The Shannara Chronicles


Stevil
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Anyone excited by this?

 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/shannara-ordered-straight-series-at-717285

 

I'm a massive fan of Terry Brooks' writing and I'm super excited to see it come to TV. I'd have preferred them to have started with Sword of Shannara but Elfstones was such an amazing book too so I can partially forgive them. John Rhys-Davies Stars.

 

Cast and Crew photos below. Don''t click if you don't want to know!!

 

 

 

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Interested, if not "excited". I do remember enjoying the original trilogy long ago, then never got past the next book or two. I've loved John Rhys-Davies ever since Shogun, so that is certainly a nice start, and then when I see on Favreau, that's a big plus, too. This early on, I'm not sure I can be excited, but I'm hopeful. Of course, being without cable, I'd still need to find a way to actually see it. :shrug:

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Guest El Chalupacabra

Wow, the original Shannara books bring back some memories for me. I did also get into the Heritage books, but I never read the plethora of books that followed after that, though. But of those I did read, I prefer the original sword trilogy. Along with the Hobbit, LOTR, and Silmarillion, Sword, Elfstones and Wishsong were mandatory reading for my circle of grade school-high school friends and I. It's great Shannara is finally seeing an on screen adaption. Though Sword of Shannara has been accused of being a carbon copy of LOTR, for me it's no less beloved, but I can see why that one isn't being adapted due to it's similarity to LOTR.

 

I hope they are able to cover Elfstones and Wishsong in their entirety, and I hope Sword and First King is at least referenced.

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I have to admit I was a little worried about this and whether they would be able to match my imagination. I think Terry is an amazing writer who knows how to paint a pictire in your mind with his words... but having seen the official teaser trailer (below). I think they may surpass my expectations.

 

[Youtube]

[/Youtube]
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I don't know what to say. Them turning the Shannara books into TV is like them turning the milk'n'cookies I used to eat after school into TV. Maybe just go with the usual nerd formula CBGIDR but were those Shannara books even any good to begin with? Is milk good? Were those cookies delicious or did I just think they were delicious because I was too young to know any better? Will I even watch this Shannara show? I'm watching this show called Dominion --- it's not good, I can tell, but I'm still watching it anyways because ... ???

 

anyway very important questions clearly, super duper important questions for me to think on regarding television and books and cookies and milk (seriously, milk can’t actually be good, am I lying to myself when I think that it’s tasty, even the cows stop drinking it as soon as they’re old enough to enjoy some of that sweet green green pasture) and what I used to do after school twenty years ago; and whether or not Garet Jax was an interesting character

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I read the Shannara books when I was younger, and absolutely loved them, but I feel that if I read them now, they wouldn't do much for me. My tastes have changed over the years. These are the books that got me into fantasy as a genre, and I went on to read books by other authors who far surpassed Terry Brooks in terms of how much thought they put into their imaginary worlds. Looking back, the Shannara series seems almost amateurish compared to the works of other fantasy writers (J.R.R. Tolken and Dennis McKiernan, to name a couple). But the Shannara novels will always have a special place in my heart sense they introduced me to fantasy, and I can't help but be excited about the TV series. I always thought that "Elfstones" was the best book in the series, so I'm glad to see they're starting with that.

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I've read most of the shannara works and I'm re-reading First King now in between the new trilogy while I wait for the new book.

 

They're still quality for me. I don't think you could say they lack imagination though. Terry always built this undercurrent of Magic vs Science. I forget which book but the one set in the post apocalyptic city was vey imaginative and evocative. Terry, for me, has a style of writing that really helps you picture what he's seeing as well and it's his descriptive depth that makes him a great writer in my opinion.

 

In the more recent novels technology has evolved and there are now airships and weapons powered by energy rather than magic as the world rediscovers lost technologies. One of the cooler aspects of Shannara is that this world evolved from our own and he didn't (eventually) just make up a fictional land and lump a load of elves and dwarves there.

 

There's a cool shot in the trailer of an 'old world' structure still visible in the landscape.

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It's been years sense I read the books, so maybe the passage of time has distorted how I see them, but I always felt like Brooks could have put a lot more thought into his world. I've read other fantasy series' that go far beyond what the Shannara books have done in terms of scale and detail. My favorite fantasy series is Dennis L. McKiernan's Mithgar Novels. McKiernan gave his world a rich history that stretches back thousands of years. Each race has its own cultural identity (language, religious beliefs, ceremonies, etc.) I don't remember a lot of that in the Shannara books. I remember pretty much everyone speaking the same language, for example. The Shannara world just didn't seem developed enough to give the impression that it could be a real place. The books just didn't feel "real" to me in the same way as other fantasy books I've read. Admittedly, though, I've only read the early books. Mabey he's improved in those areas in his later novels.

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Guest Bridgewife

I haven't re-read them in maybe 8 years, but last time I did I thought the Heritage quadruology held up a lot better than the first trilogy.

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  • 4 months later...

I've never read anything by Terry Brooks.

 

I still refuse to turn in my geek card.

 

Anyway, I watched the pilot last night. I've seen enough of the CW that I'm used to shows that appeal to people 10-15 years younger than me. I spent the two hours mentally categorizing all of the characters by race, class, and alignment. They have a well-rounded adventuring party coming together. You can practically hear the d20's rolling any time anyone does anything. Since I haven't played D&D in way too long, I enjoyed it.

 

The only thing that really bothered me is all of the modern-to-us ancient-to-them detritus laying around. Isn't this supposed to be THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF YEARS after right now? That shit wouldn't still be above ground in an old growth forest.

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Even if the artifacts survive intact, they'd still be buried by thousands upon thousands of years of forest floor build-up. Have the set designers never seen Life After People? :p

 

UNLESS. There's a crazy religious sect that goes around preserving ancient artifacts. But I didn't really get a sense of that.

 

I also don't understand why the materials wouldn't be scavenged for re-use in the immediate post-apocalyptic period. There seemed to be a lot of decayed but otherwise intact stuff laying around.

 

But I'm really overthinking a high fantasy series on MTV now.

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Guest HantheMann

I read the original trilogy as it was released and enjoyed it immensely. I watched it Saturday night and liked it. The critics seem to be beating up on it, but so what? It's a series. It has time to grow.

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Guest HantheMann

I disagree. This is not a one shot film, but episodic. The source material is well-liked. Sometimes a premiere gets only a luke-warm reception, but as additional episodes are added the story gets better. The fact that the public rates the show 25 points higher than critics (at 75%) I think bodes well for future success.

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Guest HantheMann

What I'm talking about being in the show's DNA are things like the focus on MTV/ CW style teen characters. More time isn't going to change that. It's what the show is. And the public seems to dig that more than the critics.

I see. I agree. I read a Forbes.com review that had that same complaint.

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